Schedule

How do we move forward from concept to action?

First, we spread the word and reach out to faculty, staff, and students who may be interested. If this plan is accepted by JMU, then we could continue moving forward. After finding people who are interested, we would hold an interest meeting to go over the specifics and get a feel for how many people would be able to consistently contribute to this plan. Then we could begin the weekly meetings, having about four to plan and set everything up. There would need to be someone in charge of determining and managing a budget, and ordering all of the supplies. We would need someone in charge of reaching out to local and regional organizations to find potential audience members. We would also need someone to help coordinate for the reservation of the club room for the presentation. There are infinitely more roles and help needed, and those first four sessions would be used to divide and conquer all necessary areas for success.

Impact

This proposal helps students, faculty, JMU, and most importantly, people experiencing homelessness with a potential for either high bills or dental health issues in their future. That impact is more than enough to justify this program.

There is also a great potential for programs such as this to catch on. All we need is to take the lead and make a change, and others will follow. Other colleges could find out about this and want to implement their own similar programs.

Also after the establishment of this program, we could consider reaching out to local or interested dentists. Not only would their knowledge help the presentations, but they are able to help individuals a lot more than non-dentists because of the certifications required for most dental care. A big part of this study is showing that anyone can help support preventative dental care without already being enrolled in a dental school, but that is just the starting point of this program. There are truly no limits, and reaching out to professionals in the future would be an amazing use of resources and time. We can always make a difference, and the vital part is always taking steps forward and never losing sight of the goal: to help people and to show compassion to all.

This is not just hypothetical; It is completely feasible.